The business school of  Politecnico di Milano is the only Italian institution in the Financial Times ranking

Once again this year, POLIMI Graduate School of Management, part of the School of Management of  Politecnico di Milano, has received important international recognition for the quality of its educational offer as the only Italian institution to feature in the Financial Times Online MBA 2026 Ranking, a prestigious classification of the best online master’s degrees in business administration. The School has maintained a constant presence in the European Top 10 since 2020, confirming a unique level of excellence in the continental panorama.

Specifically, the School’s International Flex online MBA ranked 11th globally (out of 20 international business schools in the rankings) and 7th at European level.

The programme – which adopts a hybrid learning model – combines digital learning tools (such as multimedia video clips, video forums, business games, virtual classrooms, streaming and peer to-peer learning) with career coaching, mentoring and face-to face engagement with Faculty, professionals and other experts in the School’s network. The course’s high degree of flexibility is thus complemented by structured opportunities for personal interaction between students and lecturers, strengthening the experiential dimension of the training programme.

The ranking rewards the School’s commitment to sustainability: taking into account only the Environmental, Social and Governance indicator, i.e. the number of teaching hours in core courses dedicated to ethics, social and environmental issues, POLIMI GSoM’s online MBA is sixth globally.

Compared to the 2025 ranking, POLIMI GSoM consolidates its position via metrics relating to career and salary increase. The progress made in promoting the professional value of graduates is also worth noting: average wages rose by 9.2%, while the percentage of post-MBA salary increases rose by one point, from 27% to 28%.

Another parameter that has improved compared to the 2025 ranking is online interaction, a key aspect of a master’s degree delivered through digital learning. In this regard, POLIMI GSoM’s online MBA jumps five places and ranks fourth out of the 20 universities in the ranking − signs of greater engagement and quality in student interaction, teamwork, and interaction with faculty.

The online MBA’s international outlook continues to be a driving force for career mobility opportunities globally. Among the focal points of the programme’s strategic growth, we highlight the particularly significant progress in the diversity sector: the School has gained eight positions, rising from 12th to 4th place out of the 20 schools analysed. This confirms the presence of a more diverse cohort in terms of industry experience and strengthens the programme’s ability to attract profiles from increasingly varied professional backgrounds. International mobility also remains an area where the school confirms its position as a solid player offering career opportunities on a global scale.

“Our positioning in the Financial Times ranking confirms the School’s ability to combine educational innovation, international impact and attention to sustainability issues”, said Vittorio Chiesa and Federico Frattini, respectively President and Dean of POLIMI Graduate School of Management. “Our ESG performance, which places us among the best programmes in the world, demonstrates the centrality that we attach to the training of leaders who are aware of social and environmental challenges. At the same time, the strong international component and  growing professional mobility of our alumni demonstrate how the International Flex MBA has become a benchmark for managers seeking to accelerate their careers in a global context.”